1
It’s the only Russian city whose founder, Yuri Vsevolodovich, was officially canonized a saint.
2
The origin of the deer on the city arms is a source of many historical disputes, we suspect that this is probably because no deer has ever inhabited local woods.
3
It was the first Russian and first modern European city to equip itself with a sewage system. It was also the first Russian city to disinfect its water by chlorination in 1918, after a major outbreak of typhoid fever.
4
It was the first Russian city to launch a tram in 1896.
5
Due to the military objects that were built here in Soviet times, it was a closed city until 1991. This meant that Gorky (Soviet name of Nizhny Novgorod) was closed to all foreigners.
6
Its ‘Moskovskaya’ metro station is the widest in Russia.
7
It has the longest staircase in Russia — Chkalov’s staircase, with 560 steps.
8
Its Art Museum exhibits one of the largest paintings in the world — Makovsky’s ‘Appeal of Kozma Minin’, which is 6×7 meters.
9
One of its Orthodox temples — Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at the confluence of the Volga and the Oka — was built on a raft to avoid annual flooding.
10
Another Orthodox church is located in a railway car, making it the most famous church car in Russia.